Gardening

Edition Twenty Seven - June 2008

Traditionally the first week of June is the time for putting out the summer bedding plants, hanging baskets and tubs, but it is still possible to get a late frost, so take care. 

For all it's glories June makes demands on the gardener, with frequent lawn-mowing stints, weeding, watering and tending the vegetable garden. Don't forget the house plants which can be taken outside and given a breath of fresh air and a misting with tepid water to freshen them up.

I couldn't find anything really new whilst doing the rounds of my favourite garden centres, but I have noticed how popular herbs are becoming in gardens, and have just counted twenty different varieties in my own garden.. They are aromatic, attractive and mainly edible, what more could you ask of a plant?  Favourites for scent are Mint, Lemon Balm, Pineapple Sage, bergamot, Rosemary, Thyme and my favourite, Yellow Marjoram, which is a delightful bright yellow leaved plant that smells of lemonade powder when crushed, and in my opinion has the best scent of all the herbs...

Why not have a go at growing  your own herb garden this year? Plants are all available at garden centres now.

Outdoor living ideas Summer in the Garden

Jobs for the month - June

Houseplants

By now you should have repotted any houseplants that needed it, and checked that they are not going to get scorched in a sunny aspect.  When you go on holiday place your houseplants in a part of the house that remains cool all day if possible. There are several types of capillary matting in the garden centres that you can stand the plants on, or even soaked newspaper in a bucket.

Bulbs.

Overcrowded or deteriorating bulbs can be lifted and separated or, in the case of tulips, put in boxes to dry off, and be re-planted in the autumn.

Lawns

Mowing can become a twice weekly job at this time of year. If you didn`t give your lawn a spring "feed and weed" this is a good time of year for a summer application of fertiliser. You may also need to go round with a spot lawn weedkiller to zap the weeds immune to the 'weed and feed'.. (Do make sure you get a weedkiller that is for lawns!)

Greenhouse

Make sure that any plants in the greenhouse have adequate ventilation and are shaded from too much sun. Maintain humidity to avoid red spider mite by damping down with the hosepipe.

Hedges

If you have a rose hedge this is the month to spray against black spot, mildew and aphids.

Fruit

This is the time of year to watch out for nasty little bugs in fruit bushes and trees. Eliminate them with an appropriate spray. Watch out for the birds on fruit bushes and cover with netting if necessary. We're being invaded by wood pigeons this year and have had to net produce in the vegetable garden already.

Flowers for cutting

Continue training sweet peas up their supports. Keep cutting flowers for the house and at the same time dead-head any faded blooms to encourage new flowers.

Herbaceous plants

Continue to stake plants and feed them weekly. I use Miracle-Gro with the dispenser that attaches to the hose pipe so everything in the garden gets fed...and watch out for aphids on your plants. Keep the borders weed free and mulched.

Ponds and water features

This is still a good time to plant aquatics. New pools planted in May are now ready to stock with fish. Don`t put in too many, the aquatic centre should be able to tell you how many fish your pond will comfortably take, allowing for growth. If you are going on holiday ask a neighbour to feed your fish.

Wildlife

Warm June evenings bring out all those insects, and also the hedgehog who will feast on them. Look out for Pipistrelle bats that fly around at dusk whose young will be born this month, and watch out for any young fledgling birds, but don`t try hand rearing any that have been abandoned, just put them gently in the safety of a bush.